This healthy herby quinoa pilaf is tossed with chickpeas, almonds, feta, lemon, and lots of herbs. Serve warm or room temperature, you’re gonna love it!
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been having some issues with my gut and I’ve had to go on a special diet to detox and cleanse it. The longer I’m on this diet, the more I crave super healthy, whole foods. It’s pretty awesome! I’ve been living on this very healthy, very yummy quinoa pilaf and wanted to share it with you!
Really, I’ve been experimenting with all different quinoa recipes, and this quinoa pilaf is one of my favorites! I love the clean and classic Greek/Mediterranean flavors. The lemon, scallions, and dill add so much amazing fresh flavor. The feta adds an amazing creaminess and some natural salt. Plus, this dish is protein packed! Quinoa, chickpeas, AND almonds, which add a great crunch.
This recipe is so versatile and will go with any protein. Lately I’ve been tofu obsessed. I love this quinoa with some tofu and hummus. But it would also be amazing with poultry, fish, or meat. Try it with my Harissa Lamb Chops, Fluke Cooked in Parchment, or Nut-Crusted Chicken Schnitzel!
Ingredient Notes:
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock – I’m not vegetarian, so I prefer to use chicken stock, since I like the flavor a bit better. However, it’s still wonderful with vegetable stock!
- Tricolor Quinoa – I like the colors, but if you can only find regular white quinoa, that’s fine too.
- Chickpeas – If you want to use dried chickpeas and cook them, it’ll be even healthier!
- Scallions – Use the green and white parts.
- Lemon Zest – Don’t skip this, because…flavor.
Herby Quinoa Pilaf with Chickpeas, Almonds, and Feta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup tricolor quinoa
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced on the bias
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- ¼ teaspoon hot paprika
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill plus more for garnish
- Crumbled feta to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add quinoa and stir, then bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat. Immediately add garlic, chickpeas, and scallions, cover the pot, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the almonds. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add almonds and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Turn off heat and stir in hot paprika, and a pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Into the pot with the quinoa, add the toasted almonds, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (double this amount if doubling the recipe), and as much crumbled feta as you’d like. Taste and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve sprinkled with additional feta and dill, as garnish.
I was going to make this for my lunch and let it sit in the flavors, but t’s so damn delish, I ate it for breakfast! I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I used parsley instead of dill, a white bean instead of chickpea, a red onion instead of scallion, and I had a carrot that needed a quick life, so I added it for more color. The toasted almonds really make the texture of this dish!
This is the best quinoa recipe I have ever had
I normally don’t like quinoa but this one is a game changer
Thank you Sacha ❤️